Winter Realizations
by Phoenix-ash58
Summary: AU Lord Harry Potter had everything: the looks, the wealth and the fame. The only  problem? He could not seem to find any woman that sees him, not as a celebrity but as a man. Until Lady Hermione Granger comes…
1. A Chance Encounter

**Winter Realizations**

**Summary:**

(AU) Lord Harry Potter had everything: the looks, the wealth and the fame. The only problem? He could not seem to find any woman that sees him, not as a celebrity but as a man. Until Lady Hermione Granger comes…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HP and it's characters. They all belong to JK Rowling.

**Chapter One – A Chance Encounter**

December 1860

It was a cold night; the coldest night the town has ever seen. Winds rustling, wolves howling and church bells tolling could be heard in the distance. Townsfolk peer out their windows seeing a handsome carriage pass by heading to Minister Cornelius Fudge's Annual Christmas Ball.

"Ah. Lord Potter has arrived." The smiling face of Cornelius Fudge greeted the young Lord Potter as he stepped out of his carriage. Lord Potter grimaced as he recalled what his father had said.

"_Stay away from Fudge, Harry. He's a greedy little bugger that just wants to attract more attention. After all, with a man like you attending his Annual Christmas Ball, he would've surely invited a lot of important people. He would not have wasted this opportunity to flaunt a famous potential 'ally'. Remember son, you are a Potter descended from Godric Gryffindor himself. Everyone wants to have a piece of you."_

"Minister Fudge, a pleasant evening." Lord Potter bowed his head to the balding man.

"A wonderful evening to you, Lord Potter. I trust your journey here has not exhausted you?"

"No minister. Everything is fine."

"Well then, shall we go inside?" Fudge indicated to the door in front of them.

Lord Potter nodded and waited for his host to lead the way.

Upon entering the room, Lord Potter noticed a small crowd gathering around the grand staircase directly opposite the entrance. Baron Weasley was apparently waiting for him near the doorway and approached the young lord. "Lord Potter, you came!"

"Of course I did. And please Ronald, you need not be so formal around me in public."

"Oh. Sorry about that. Just got carried away, I guess. Anyway, you see that crowd gathering over there?" Ronald indicated the small gathering at the base of the staircase. "Mum says that the Lady Granger of the House of Ravenclaw has arrived. And that Minister Fudge is throwing this Ball both as a welcoming party and as a celebration for having been successful at making you two attend this Ball."

Harry did hear about Lady Granger's arrival. It was rumoured that she inherited Lady Ravenclaw's powers and intelligence and he was looking forward to meeting her. After hearing of her acceptance to attend the Minister's Ball, he immediately sent his own acceptance, deciding it was best to attend in hopes of getting acquainted with her. While thinking this, he bumped into someone. Harry apologized profusely at the young woman not once looking at her, ashamed at his own behaviour. He knew that a young man should not just walk around unaware of his surroundings. Oh how his father would frown at this!

The woman called his attention and Harry looked up in surprise. "My lord, such a scowl upon you face. Have I displeased you?"

Hearing the comment from the woman, he said, "No my lady, I am not at all displeased at you. I was merely thinking of something dreadful that it was quite hard to keep a scowl from showing upon my face."

The woman smiled, "And here I thought I had done something wrong."

Harry laughed, "No, it wasn't you my lady. It was only my thoughts betraying their emotions."

The woman smiled again, "Well, I shall leave you to your thoughts then. Our short encounter must have taken quite a lot of your time and I do not wish to keep you from enjoying this ball. It was pleasant meeting you my lord. I hope you have a good time." She bowed to him and started to walk away when Harry called out, "Wait!"

The woman turned around eyeing him curiously. "Is anything the matter, my lord?"

Harry grinned and bowed low to her. "I am Lord Harry Potter of the Noble House of Gryffindor and I wish to make your acquaintance tonight, my lady."

The woman curtsied and responded, "And I, my lord, am Lady Hermione Granger of the Noble House of Ravenclaw."

A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for reading this fic! Hope to see again in the next chapter!

Phoenix-ash58

P.S. Reviews are appreciated though flames are not. Thanks!


	2. Raven Claw

**Winter Realizations**

**Summary:**

(AU) Lord Harry Potter had everything: the looks, the wealth and the fame. The only problem? He could not seem to find any woman that sees him, not as a celebrity but as a man. Until Lady Hermione Granger comes…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HP and it's characters. They all belong to JK Rowling.

**Chapter Two – Raven Claw**

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. _So this was the Lady Hermione Granger everyone was talking about!_ He nearly fainted with the realization. He was meeting her here, the way he imagined it to be!_ But why was she down here when she was supposed to be upstairs?_

Looking around worriedly, he cleared his throat and voiced this question to Lady Granger.

"I didn't have anything to do upstairs except wait for the host to announce my presence. That was something I couldn't handle so I went downstairs inconspicuously. A few moments after that, I bumped into you and the rest you already know."

Inwardly breathing a sigh of relief, Harry began to relax around Lady Granger. "But for you to be here and not up there will humiliate our kind host."

"We both know that our host is not kind, Lord Potter. Proud: yes, but not kind."

Harry almost laughed at this. _Lady Granger is most certainly NOT your average woman!_ "Lady Granger, won't you get into trouble for being here?"

"No, not really. My mother should be able to take care of the trouble, if there should be one."

"If my lady says so, then..." Bowing deeply and offering his arm he said, "May I escort you to the ball?"

Lady Granger smiled sweetly and took the proffered arm. "Why certainly sir. Thank you for offering."

The ball lasted well into the night with couples dancing and gentlemen drinking their hearts out. With the party in full swing, nobody noticed the two people making their way towards the main entrance hall. Even Minister Fudge, whose embarrassment was clearly seen when Lady Granger did not appear as expected, was slumped down on a chair, too drunk to be able to tell one from two.

Harry faced Lady Granger, kissing her hand as he spoke. "My carriage is almost here, my lady. I am to depart tomorrow to meet with my father. Tonight may be the first time I see you, Lady Granger, but I do not want this to also be the last. I shall be back the day after tomorrow. There is something I need to show you while you are here."

"Show me, my lord? If that is the case, then I shall meet up with you. I feel that this is something that will greatly interest me. For now, may I know where?"

"The Great Library, do you know of it?"

"Of course, my lord."

"Good. Then I will wait for you there." Harry tipped his hat and boarded his carriage. "Good night, my lady. I shall see you soon."

The Great Library of the Wizarding World was a circular-shaped edifice that stood beside the Ministry of Magic. Built by Rowena Ravenclaw herself, the library is considered to be one of the oldest, most important structures that survived the First War. It is said that Godric Gryffindor met Rowena Ravenclaw there to profess his love for her before going to war. Rowena tried to stop him from going but Godric could not be hindered. Knowing it was his responsibility to restore order in the land, Godric only left a promise of love. Unfortunately, the war lasted for many years and when he returned, he found out that Rowena had received false news of his death from Salazar Slytherin and tried to kill herself. Salazar comforted her and offered her protection through marriage. Rowena refused at first, but after months of persuasion, finally consented. Godric was angered by this because he knew that the man behind the uprising was his former best friend, Salazar Slytherin. Years ago, before the war started, Godric received intelligence reports of a planned uprising led by a man named Sarama Sherwin. According to the reports, Sarama Sherwin always wore a green tunic with silver lining along with a coiled snake pendant and never failed to bring snakes during their secret meetings. Godric suspected Salazar but did not confront him about it, thinking him paranoid. Later on, he confirmed his suspicions when Salazar himself admitted the betrayal before escaping. Many years after the First War, Godric and Rowena are finally reunited due to Salazar's untimely death.

Remembering the history that surrounds the Great Library, Harry chuckled. _Centuries ago, Godric and Rowena met on this very spot and now, their descendants are doing the same. Sometimes, I really wonder if history does repeat itself…_

Flashback

_Harry stood up from his bed, donning on his robe. He knew he would not be able to get much sleep tonight so he decided to try and sort his thoughts out. Pouring himself a glass of wine, he sat in front of his desk and took out a photograph. "Mum, I don't know what to do. I feel so guilty that the last thing we did together was fight." Clutching the photograph to him, Harry bowed his head and desperately tried to stop the wave of tears. "It shouldn't have happened! I was responsible, Mum! He shouldn't have died!" In a fit of anger, Harry threw his glass to the floor and kicked a chair. As his anger receded, Harry slid down to the floor, sobbing. "I'm just…I'm so…sorry…I'm so sorry, Mum."_

End of flashback

When Lady Granger arrived at the Great Library, she immediately noticed Lord Potter and went up to greet up. She stopped a few feet away when she saw the faraway look in his eyes and the few stray tears falling from it. "Good day, Lord Potter. I apologize for making you wait."

Harry regained his bearings and greeted her back. "Good day, Lady Granger. I hope you're well."

"I should ask the same thing of you, my lord. You looked like you were quite distracted back there." _Should I inquire? That may be a bold move, but Lord Potter looks devastated, as if he had just lost something precious to him._ Lady Granger mentally berated herself for thinking such. She had known Lord Potter in less than a day and here she was, trying to meddle into his affairs.

"Distracted? No, I wasn't. There was just something that came to mind as I waited for you."

"I am really sorry for making you wait, my lord. This shall not happen again."

"My lady, I assure you, I take no offence. It was my fault for not stating what time we were supposed to meet. Please forgive my clumsiness."

"There is nothing to forgive, my lord. I'm sorry to change the topic of our conversation, but didn't you say there was something you wanted to show me?"

Harry smiled as he remembered. "Ah! But of course, that thing!" Offering her his arm as he did two nights ago, Harry bowed. "Well then, my lady, shall we?"

"Yes, my lord, we shall."

With that, they went into the building. Harry did not waste any time touring Lady Granger inside the library. Something told him that the lady beside him knew the public area of the library more than he does, so he went straight to the only door within the library. Lady Granger was surprised to see two guards on either side of the door. She was sure that she hadn't seen this before and was curious as to what Lord Potter wanted to show her. Seeing the guards bow to them and open the door, Harry quickly ushered Lady Granger inside. "We don't want other people to know that this door is accessible. For all they know, nothing exists beyond it."

"How? I mean, why? Weren't they even curious as to what lay behind the door?"

"My lady, it has been so for many years. People do not wish to involve themselves in matters they don't comprehend."

"I understand, my lord. Please forgive me."

Harry just chuckled. "There is nothing to forgive. Come, follow me. I'm quite excited to show this to you as it is."

Caught up in his excitement, Harry didn't notice that he had begun to hold Lady Granger's hand.

Lady Granger didn't expect the room to be that spacious. After all, it was in a library. _No one would dare do that! Well, except my ancestor. Lady Ravenclaw was quite a woman during her time._ Lady Granger let herself be led by Lord Potter through the hall. They stopped in front of an intricately carved door with the Ravenclaw House's coat of arms.

Lady Granger tentatively touched the carvings and gasped as she realized something. "Lady Ravenclaw built this! She actually hid this from the world for us to find!"

Harry's smile turned into a grin. "Yes. I had thought of that. But, won't you take a look inside?" Putting his hand on the door knob, Harry slowly opened the door to reveal a small room. It was bare except for the golden statue of a raven supported by a rampaging lion. Upon closer inspection, Lady Granger saw that the raven held a necklace in its beak. Curious, she held out a hand and laid it on top of the raven. For a moment, the raven's eyes glowed bright blue before fading. Harry was watching her closely, immensely fascinated by the scene that he has never before witnessed.

Lady Granger gently touched the necklace with her fingers. Suddenly, the raven opened its beak, allowing Lady Granger access to the necklace. Lady Granger brought the necklace closer and saw that the necklace had a diamond-shaped sapphire pendant encased within two claws of a raven. The pendant was strung on thick, gold chain with the initials RR at the back. "This was my ancestor's." Too shocked to continue, she just brought the necklace to Lord Potter for him to inspect it.

Harry held her arm to steady her. "I know. I knew it the moment I went through the door bearing the coat of arms."

Lady Granger looked up with shining eyes. "Thank you, Lord Potter. I…"

"There is no need to thank me, Lady Granger. This necklace," He put the necklace back into her hands. "was meant for you. The only thing I did was to discover the way to this place."

"Discover?"

"My grandfather gave me a portion of Lord Gryffindor's diary three months ago. In it were detailed descriptions of Raven Claw. You see, Lord Gryffindor loved Lady Ravenclaw so much but he had to go to war. And the only thing he could think of to symbolize his love for her was Raven Claw."

"Ravenclaw, you say? But, my lord…"

Harry cut her off. "Ah, but it is not Ravenclaw, Lady Granger. It's Raven Claw."

"I have not heard of this Raven Claw, Lord Potter. Perhaps, you would be so kind as to explain."

"Raven Claw, Lady Granger. The claw of the raven. You hold it in your hands right now."

A/N: I rewrote this chapter three times to make sure it didn't reveal too much. If some parts sounded vague, I'm sorry. Besides, some of the occurrences in this chapter will be explained in chapter 3. You just have to read carefully especially Harry's lines. Unfortunately, I won't be able to post chapter 3 sooner because I have too much work to do. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish chapter 3 this week. Thanks for reading! See you in the next chapter!

Phoenix-ash58

P.S. Reviews are appreciated though flames are not. Thanks again!


	3. The Sword in Stone

**Winter Realizations**

**Summary:**

(AU) Lord Harry Potter had everything: the looks, the wealth and the fame. The only problem? He could not seem to find any woman that sees him, not as a celebrity but as a man. Until Lady Hermione Granger comes…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HP and it's characters. They all belong to JK Rowling.

**A/N:** Before you read the chapter, I just want to go through a few reminders in case you get confused. The Lord Slytherin mentioned in this chapter is Salazar Slytherin, so whenever I want to refer to their parents, I will use the word "elder". Also, the sword Harry mentions to Hermione is in fact, the Sword of Gryffindor. Godric's Hollow is also mentioned in passing here and if you want me to explore it and give its history, please e-mail me so I can write a chapter about it. Thank you for reading and without further ado, here's chapter three…

**Chapter Three – The Sword in stone**

"_Ravenclaw, you say? But, my lord…"_

_Harry cut her off. "Ah, but it is not Ravenclaw, Lady Granger. It's Raven Claw."_

"_I have not heard of this Raven Claw, Lord Potter. Perhaps, you would be so kind as to explain."_

"_Raven Claw, Lady Granger. The claw of the raven. You hold it in your hands right now."_

Looking at the object in her hands, Lady Granger realized that the name Raven Claw fit the necklace perfectly. "So…Raven Claw was given by Lord Gryffindor to Lady Ravenclaw because he loved her?"

"Yes." Walking toward hers, Harry took the necklace from her hands and moved to put it on her. "May I put this around your neck?"

Lady Granger looked at him, aghast. "But my lord, I-I have no right to wear this! Given that Lord Gryffindor gave it to Lady Ravenclaw, no other person than the Lady Ravenclaw herself, should be allowed to wear the necklace!"

"Lady Granger, I am certain that Lady Ravenlcaw meant for you to have this. She would have wanted her hei-descendant to wear this instead of letting it rot here."

"How do we know that, my lord? It's not as if we can ask her about it…"

Smiling mischievously, Harry answered. "Well, for one thing, the raven's eyes would not have glowed when you touched its head were you not the true Ravenclaw destined to have it."

"True Ravenclaw? What are you not saying, Lord Potter?" While gazing at him curiously, Lady Granger noted that he was fidgeting as if he was hiding something.

Sighing heavily, Harry handed her an old notebook. "I think it would be better if you read this. I'm afraid I am a terrible storyteller and would not do the diary justice." As Lady Granger opened it to the first page, she was baffled by the strange, unfamiliar writing she saw. Examining the notebook carefully, she noticed that the whole diary was written in the same language as the first page.

"It's Parseltongue, Lady Granger."

"The Language of Snakes?"

"Yes."

"From what I know, only Lord Slytherin knew how to speak Parseltongue and then that was because of his accident."

"Lord Slytherin was a master of Parseltongue, yes. But only because he was bitten."

"If Lord Slytherin acquired the knowledge through the bite, then why did his father die? I'm sure that the cause of the elder Lord Slytherin's demise was because of a snake bite."

"That I do not know, Lady Granger. What I did find out, however, is that Lord Slytherin shared this knowledge to Lady Ravenclaw as a gift to show his growing affection for her. Although she did not return his affection, she accepted his gift gratefully and secretly shared it with Lord Gryffindor as well."

Lady Granger looked around and finally noticed that they were not in the room anymore, instead they moved onto a much larger chamber richly decorated in the Ravenclaw house colors. Harry led her to sit on the couch beside the fireplace and brought another chair to sit across her. "I see you like it."

"I love it, Lord Potter." Lady Granger let her gaze rest on the flickering flames. "But, I wish to know the truth. I cannot read this diary because it is written in a language long gone. I want to know why you are so intent on claiming that Raven Claw is mine."

Harry closed his eyes and removed his glasses. "I told you, Lady Granger, the sign that told me it belongs to you was due to the glow that possessed the raven's eyes." Raising her eyebrow, Lady Granger motioned for him to continue. "It is yours just like…" Harry paused to remove a jewel-encrusted sword from his belt. "…just like, this sword is mine."

Lady Granger touched the blade of the sword, noticing the letters carved onto it. _Godric Gryffindor. Lord Potter must be the Heir of Gryffindor. From what I read, there is a place in Britain where Lord Gryffindor hid his sword. He left it there for his one true heir to find in his day of need. Now, I see Lord Potter didn't lie. He truly knew…_

"Lady Granger, is everything alright?"

Lady Granger lifted her head and found herself staring at the bright green eyes of one Lord Harry Potter. She saw how worried he had become from the furrow of his brow and she didn't know why, but she was suddenly overcome with exhilaration. _He was worried about me…_

Shaking herself from these thoughts, she answered him. "Of course I am, my lord. Please continue."

Still giving her a questioning look, Harry continued his tale. "As I was saying, when you blanked out, the griffin that held this sword did the same thing as the raven."

"You mean, its eyes glowed too?"

"Indeed, it did. My surprise was so great, however, that I failed to notice that it had already released the sword. Seeing as it was on the verge of falling to the floor, I tried to catch it with my hand but unfortunately, I did not expect the sword to be real. As it was, when I caught it, the blade sliced through my palm creating this scar." He showed a jagged scar on his left palm. "I don't know what happened, but moments later, I felt the cut heal. More shocking than that though was when the sword hovered in front of me as if waiting for me to wield it."

"Pardon my rudeness, my lord, but where was your father then?"

At the mention of his father, Harry's features hardened imperceptibly and Lady Granger detected a slight change of mood from him. Trying to determine what caused this she looked at Harry's face and noticed sadness, regret and a hint of…anger?

"He wasn't there, my lady. I sought out Godric's Hollow while he was away."

"Godric's Hollow is a town, my lord. Why would Lord Gryffindor…" She trailed off, realization dawning upon her face. "Of course, the town wasn't there when he was still alive! So the true Godric's Hollow…"

Harry was smiling now, impressed with her abilities. "…is in truth just a hollow."

"And there he hid the Gryffindor Sword!"

After a few more minutes of discussing their ancestors' history, Harry and Lady Granger decided to go their separate ways with the promise of meeting up soon in a few days time.

From the Great Library, Lady Granger decided to look around Diagon Alley before going home. Entering Flourish and Blotts, she made her way to the shelves at the back hoping to find a few volumes on Parseltongue. When she emerged two hours later, she was carrying five books about Runes and Ancient Language after realizing that there was no book ever published about Parseltongue.

Lady Granger continued to stroll down the alley until she reached the door to the Leaky Cauldron. She was surprised when upon laying her hand on the knob, a very drunk Lord Potter stumbled out from the pub effectively knocking her down to the ground.

Harry mumbled a quiet 'sorry' and tried to stand up only to fall down again on top of Lady Granger. He stayed there for a couple of minutes before Lady Granger spoke. "Um…Lord Potter? Would you mind getting off of me? The ground is cold and uncomfortable and you are most certainly not the lightest person in the world."

Recognizing the feminine voice as that of Lady Granger's, almost all coherent thought came back and Harry stood up, embarrassed. "I am deeply sorry for…uh…for knocking you down like that." Then noticing the state of her dress, he picked up the heavy package on the ground and offered his arm. "Lady Granger, from the looks of it, your dress seems awfully wet and…well…let me buy you some new clothes to wear before you head home. You might become ill from the cold."

Lady Granger was touched by Lord Potter's concern and tried to thank him but he only waved her off. "It was my fault in the first place, my lady. If I had been more careful, this would never have happened."

They reached Madame Malkin's and after inquiring what they needed, Madame Malkin returned with a few gowns for Lady Granger to fit. Harry asked Lady Granger to fit all of them and while she was inside the fitting room, Harry paid for the gowns so that when Lady Granger came out, she would not be able to object to his buying her change of clothes.

When Lady Granger finished fitting, she went to the cashier and made to pay for them when she found out that Lord Potter had already bought them for her and was waiting outside. Immediately, she went to Harry and asked that she be allowed to pay for the purchases. Harry led them towards Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour while stubbornly refusing her request.

After a waiter took their orders, Lady Granger asked Lord Potter, "Are you alright, my lord?"

"Yes, of course I am." _He's not looking at me…_

"I do not wish to interfere, my lord, but if there's anything I can do to help…"

Harry lifted his head up to stare into Lady Granger's eyes. He was surprised when he found warm, brown eyes staring back and felt himself starting to drown in them. Somehow, hearing those last six words made him feel a bit better.

"My father…h-he d-died…"

Seeing how sober Lord Potter was at this moment, Lady Granger knew that he spoke of absolute truth. Not knowing what else to say, she simply held his hand, caressing it gently with her fingers. "How? What happened?"

Harry was looking at their joined hands while replying, "Well…the day after the ball, I went to Potter manor as my father requested. We uh…talked for quite sometime before deciding to go out for a few drinks. While we were there however, he broached uh…a certain…subject and we got into an argument. I was so blinded by my anger that I didn't notice a man pulling out his wand…until it was too late. My father saw him curse me and covered my body with his." Harry started to sob and Lady Granger could see that he was trying to stop them from falling. "He took the killing curse that was meant for me…I-I didn't know what to do…I just lay there cradling my father's body against me…I couldn't even curse the man who killed my father to oblivion!" Lady Granger squeezed Harry's hand gently, silently showing him support. "I-I don't know what to say, my lord."

As if not hearing her, Harry continued. "There's more…"

**Flashback**

_As the killing curse headed towards Harry, Lord James Potter faced his son, covering Harry's body with his own, and smiled at him, albeit a little sadly. "Son, I'm happy that you've grown into a wonderful young man." Harry's eyes widened as he saw the green beam getting nearer. "NO!"_

_Lord James Potter took his son's hand, "Harry, no matter what, always remember that I love you…your mother and I will always…" He was cut off when the curse hit him and he crumpled to the ground, whispering his final words, "…love you…"_

**End of flashback**

Harry completely broke down, tears falling down his face, shaking from all the pent-up emotion inside him. "It was my fault…my fault! I-if I hadn't…"

Making up her mind, Lady Granger went to his side of the table and impulsively hugged him, silently thanking the gods that they were given a private room away from prying eyes. "Shh…It's alright, Lord Po-"

"Harry"

"What?"

"Call me, Harry, Lady Granger. I feel as if you're addressing my father instead of me."

"But…what of the others? Won't they be suspicious of my impropriety? I mean, we've only known each other for a few days and I'm addressing you by your first name…"

"I cannot ask the others to call me by my given name, Lady Granger. Besides, we are of the same kind; it is only natural that we be informal around each other. A-and I feel as if we've known each other for a very long time."

"Is that the reason why you're telling me all this?"

Harry looked away for a moment, choosing to stare outside the window adjacent to the fireplace. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this, Lady Granger. Truthfully, I'm a bit confused myself. I feel as if I owe you the truth about your heritage and mine. And if that wasn't enough, I can't help but be compelled to indulge your thirst for knowledge."

Lady Granger blushed and quietly replied. "Please call me, Hermione, Lord Harry."

Harry locked gazes with her and smiled. "That's a bit better…Lady…" Breathing out the last word, he touched their joined hands. "…Hermione"

**A/N2:** So sorry for the late update! I know I promised to post this chapter during the weekend but I was distracted by my two nieces who visited me last Friday. Anyway, next chapter, we get to see Voldemort and a few Death Eaters…'Till then!

Oh yeah, Reviews are most appreciated! Thanks for reading!

Phoenix-ash58


	4. Meetings  Part One

**Winter Realizations**

**Summary:**

(AU) Lord Harry Potter had everything: the looks, the wealth and the fame. The only problem? He could not seem to find any woman that sees him, not as a celebrity but as a man. Until Lady Hermione Granger comes…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HP and its characters. They all belong to JK Rowling.

**Chapter Four** – A Meeting with Lord Dumbledore

_Lady Granger blushed and quietly replied. "Please call me, Hermione, Lord Harry."_

_Harry locked gazes with her and smiled. "That's a bit better…Lady…" Breathing out the last word, he touched their joined hands. "…Hermione"_

Four days after Harry's drunken revelations, Hermione received a letter from Lord Albus Dumbledore requesting an audience with her that afternoon. She immediately sent her reply to him and went to meet her parents in the drawing room.

"Mother, I am to meet Lord Dumbledore later this afternoon. May I be excused from this afternoon's lesson?"

Knowing how her daughter hated her tutor, Lady Helena Granger eyed Hermione suspiciously. "And this has nothing to do with your hatred of your tutor?"

"Of course not, mother. You know how much I love learning."

Lord Richard Granger, Hermione's father, left the room at that moment and returned with a handful of books. Silently, he handed them to her, watching how she skimmed through the pages of the books. "Before you leave, I want you to have them. Your great-grandfather left those books in my possession before he died. He instructed me to give them to my firstborn daughter." Lord Granger smiled at his daughter. "How he knew that my firstborn would be a girl will forever remain a mystery to me. Imagine how surprised I was to hear from the mediwitch that my wife just gave birth to a daughter."

Hermione kneeled down beside her father and asked, "Do you regret it, father?"

Looking fondly over his daughter, Lord Granger stroked Hermione's hair. "Never, Hermione. I would never regret having you as my daughter."

Albus Dumbledore sat down on his chair with a heavy sigh and started pulling out parchments from a secret drawer on his desk. _The signs are there and every clue I can find points to them, but…I'm afraid they aren't strong enough to face him…yet._

Rubbing his forehead tiredly, Lord Dumbledore flicked his wand and two letters addressed to Lord Potter and Lady Granger appeared.

"Fawkes, deliver this to Lord Harry Potter and Lady Hermione Granger. Make sure to wait for their replies, alright?"

Nodding his head, Fawkes vanished in a burst of flame.

A few moments later, Fawkes returned with two pieces of parchment attached to his leg. Lord Dumbledore read their replies and smiled sadly, "Now, it begins."

**Dumbledore Manor, 3:00 in the afternoon **

"So, let me get this straight. You summoned us here from our afternoon duties just because you wanted to discuss some _**stupid**_ prophecy?" Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Lord Potter, I wish to stress the importance of this '_**stupid'**_ prophecy! You–"

"Need I remind you that this prophecy was made before we were born?"

Hermione was watching the two men argue. She did not understand why Lord Dumbledore would insist upon this prophecy but right now she did not care. She saw Harry clench his jaw and knew that he was slowly losing his temper. _But why was Lord…Harry so stubborn?_ "Um…Excuse me?"

"No. Please do not get involved in this, Lady Hermione."

Narrowing her eyes, Hermione snapped back. "I am involved in this as well, Lord Harry–"

"You are but a girl–"

"Wonderful. I am a girl. Was that your reason, Lord **Potter**? ...because I cannot seem to find anything valid in it."

"Valid or not, the fact remains that-"

"Lady Ravenclaw was a woman-"

"I did not say that she was not."

"-she also fought-"

"But that was not her choice."

"It was. She chose to. And you know why?"

Harry was silent. He knew the answer to that after reading thousands of books about it.

Smiling triumphantly at Harry, Hermione answered her own question. "Of course you do."

"If I may interrupt your conversation?" Lord Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling madly. _It seems you were right, Master._

Harry looked at him sourly. "Lord Dumbledore, I thought that I had made myself clear-"

"It seems so, Lord Potter. But I at least, have the right to ask you to listen."

Immediately, Harry shut his mouth and went to sit in front of Lord Dumbledore's desk. "Thank you, Lord Potter."

"Now that that's settled, Lord Dumbledore, would you please explain this prophecy to us?"

Lord Dumbledore smiled at her, "Of course, Lady Granger." Pulling out a bundle of parchments from his desk drawer, he set them in front of Hermione and began to explain. "As I said before, this prophecy is valid because it was made during the time of the four founders of Hogwarts."

"But Lord Dumbledore, Hogwarts does not exist!"

"If there is one thing in this world that I have learned, it is that one should always know when to just believe."

Looking strangely at Lord Dumbledore, Harry said, "You want us to believe in something that was only rumoured to exist, my lord?"

"Yes."

"You are one strange man, Lord Dumbledore."

"So I've been told, Lord Potter. Now, may I continue?"

"Oh Please do."

"During those times, seers were not uncommon. In fact, there were three seers who foresaw the founding of Hogwarts. You asked me awhile ago why I think you should hear me out and here is the answer. I have in my possession several artefacts that prove the existence of Hogwarts and documents from the time of the founders that speak of great evil."

Summoning a dusty tome to his hands, he opened it to a particular page and gave it to the pair to read.

_**The Prophecy of Daenir the Great, Son of Zaedus III:**_

_In times of peril and times of pain_

_A new lord shall rise_

_From ashes and flame_

_The Light will shine_

_On two that are one_

_Its rays strong, its will unyielding_

_The Lion and the Eagle shall be reunited_

_And Darkness will be no more_

"Daenir the Great was a prince who made this prophecy shortly after meeting Godric Gryffindor. In his diary, he wrote accounts of the strange visions he had before making the prophecy."

Taking the book from Harry's hands, Hermione turned to Lord Dumbledore. "Lord Dumbledore, may I borrow this book?"

"You may, Lady Granger. I will even let you use my library if you wish."

Smiling, Hermione took a seat on one of the chairs and began to read. 

Standing up from her seat, Lady Helena Granger "Richard, you gave her grandfather's books."

From his seat on his desk, Lord Richard Granger replied, "That I did…Only because I knew it was time."

"We both know what will happen next-"

Richard sighed softly and stood up to hug his wife. "Yes." He kissed her cheek and continued, "But we cannot stop that which is supposed to happen…You will ask me, if I fear for our daughter's safety, and I will answer, 'yes, I am deathly afraid'."

Crying softly, Lady Granger said, "Our Hermione will never be the same after all this, Richard. I wish that she had been given more time to grow up, to get married, to be happy and experience life."

Pulling her closer, Lord Granger whispered, "She was destined for greater things, Helena, and we have no right to deny Hermione her heritage."


End file.
